Family Dysfunction

• Suggests abnormal processes within the family such as poor family communication, cold parenting and parental overprotection may be risk factors for the development and maintenance of schizophrenia
• Schizophrenogenic Mother - Fromm-Reichmann (1948)


  Explanation from accounts of childhood from patients

  • The Schizophrenogenic mother has contradictory characteristics - cold, rejecting, and controlling - which creates a family climate characterised by tension and secrecy
  • Leads to distrust that later develop into paranoid delusions and schizophrenia

  Further stating the father remains passive
• Double-bind theory - Bateson et al (1927)


  Role of communication style in family

  • Child regularly trapped in situations where they fear doing the wrong thing, however they received mixed messages about what this is
  • Cannot comment on unfairness of situations or seek clarity
  • When they ‘get it wrong’ they are punished by withdrawing love
  • Understand the world as confusing and dangerous, reflected in symptoms like disorganised thinking and paranoid delusions
  • Contradictory messages are just risk factors
• Expressed emotion

  Explanation for relapse in patients with schizophrenia

  The level of emotion (particularly negative) expressed towards a patient by their carers:

  • Verbal criticism, occasionally accompanied by violence
  • Hostility, including anger and rejection
  • Emotional over-involvement and over-concern

  Cause stress that causes relapse, or triggers onset of schizophrenia in someone already vulnerable
• Autonomy 


  Being free to decide how to behave and feeling in control of ones own life
• Enmeshment 


  When a family is overprotective and distinctions between family members are blurred
• Weakness - Unreliable data

  Data is retrospective and based on self report

  Also, the schizophrenic parent may be delusional about their past and have issues recalling memories accurately

  Berger (1965) - found that schizophrenics reported a higher recall of double-bind statements by their mothers than non-schizophrenics
• Weakness - Opposing evidence

  Liem (1974) - found no difference in parental communication in families with a schizophrenic child and normal families
• Strength - Supporting evidence

  Berger (1965) - found that schizophrenics reported a higher recall of double-bind statements by their mothers than non-schizophrenics